The Empire

"'Our own ignorance and inability to change has brought us death. Now in our death throes we see our descendants come destroy us. Not with rifle and lance but with fangs and claws.""- Lord Arthur"

Birth
Throughout human history there has been the rise and fall of tribes,kingdoms,empires and even proud countries. Each one making an insignificant mark on the history of humanity. Humans leave their underground bunkers just so that they may survive another day. They do not know of the Greek philosophers nor the republican values of Rome. All humans know is that of the company, XER Tech. Just like philosophers of old will the last of humanity fade away. But before humanity closes its eyes for the last time will they see their own shadows stand over them. Both human and shadow unwilling to accept each other as a father to a son.

The hybrids of the Empire are too far away from humans to call themselves the same. Even the screaming Wretches will not accept them as family. The hybrids sit alone surrounded by the towering creations of their ancestors. So they built cities and expanded outward into the unknown. Their will is not tempered by reverence of law but instead by faith. They are a hive, a sacred hierarchy that they cannot and will not break. So their path is directed by the will of the queen and the will of god.

There are two stories to be told about the Empire. One is fiction made only to inspire its citizens. The other is the truth which they try so desperately to hide away. In reality the truth is irrelevant. It is not the sad, wretched truth that drives the empire forward but the fiction of their many lies. In time there will be no one to remember the Truth.

Truth
Every nation wants to believe it's founders were great heroes, the truth is often the opposite. The founders of the Empire were human castaways, murderers,lust filled idiots and the witches that led them. They hid themselves away in the cold stone towers that humanity left behind. Only to writhe in hedonistic teenage desires until the cruelty of reality seeped into their minds. Each day was a challenge in of itself to survive in this place. The comfort of the bunkers was lost to them. They had now traded security for what little freedom they thought they gained.

Every year there was a few more little mouths to be fed and bit less food to feed them. The union between a witch and a human did not make wretches or other witches but instead hybrids. You cannot expect these children to raise themselves like the beasts outside. This little hive was filled with oblivious parents and strange children that had never existed before. What was once only six people had now become fifty, one hundred, a thousand.

They were not successful because of their willpower and grit nor any exceptional talent. They survived according to true Darwinian fashion by being the fittest. In nearly all aspects are they just humans but with one key difference, they can breath on the surface. One small thing and now Hybrids outnumber humans 2000:1 at minimum. If it was not for their irrational desires in the beginning there wouldn't be the billions of hybrids that now fill every single corner of what used to be North America. Just like the rats of old they simply bred themselves into prominence.

Fiction
The story that is told from parent to child is that of the Empress and her Emperor. She was clad in a dress of skin so fine that it was nearly velvet. Beneath her did a human ask to serve her forever as her will and her love. Together they would go hand in hand with an axe of bone and armor of chitin to conquer the world.

Two sisters of her pleaded at her feet as they lay covered in blood and grime. They asked for a chance to serve her forever as just mere servants. The Empress raised her sisters heads and told them they may rule by her side as her lesser.

It's not important to describe the many details of their false history that has been created. The more important aspect of it is how it shapes their society.

Society
At the most basic level is the Empire a matriarchal monarchy. This seeps down to every aspect of Hybrid life. Families are matriarchal, businesses are all owned by women and Most military leaders are women. This however doesn't mean that men are not valued or useful they just exist outside of the typical political structure.

In the ancient human world religion was an opinion and not fact, this is not true here. They know for sure that their god exists and on a near daily basis does he talk to them. God himself has decreed morals to which people will follow with every bone in their body.

Only two things are certain in Hybrid society, it is matriarchal and gods word will always be followed.

Government - The Empresses Reign
The Empress sits upon her throne of bones in the city of Nidus. The steel towers of old have been torn down and replaced with elaborate manors for the nobles. Walls surrounded by plasteel walls with automated defenses. In the center of this city exists Krivast, A black spire rising out of the ground in mockery of The Black Tower. Inside the tower exists three thrones, one for each sister. In a half circle surrounding the thrones exists one seat for each of their daughters as they act as the governesses of the empire.

Each daughter of the Empress and her sisters is made the head of a new royal family. The Empress has roughly had a new child every year over the last thousand years. Give or take in combination with her sisters there is a thousand Royal Broods but only twenty or so are actually meaningful and hundreds died as fast as they were created.

The Empire is broken up into thirty or so districts which is ruled by a Governess, a daughter of one of the three sisters. However, not all daughters are not instantly given a district and instead must earn it. Inside each district is a capital directly owned by a Governess and each of her daughters is granted a city or town. Most Governesses stay in their own district to rule it closely but some return to Nidus to meet with their mothers. Information,guidance,counseling and the ability to give a suggestion are all they get with an audience with their mothers. They may own significant pieces of land and armies but they still have no power to the three sisters themselves, especially the Empress.

The sons of these women are not given any authority at all and instead live in their own special caste. The sons of all the three sisters and the governesses and major city mayors are called Praetorians. By birth alone they should be physically gifted and are given the best training and equipment possible. They are the warrior elite to be utilized by their mothers and sisters. Typically a governess or mayor will marry a Praetorian which is convenient but nobility are often more concerned with romantic concerns. These marriages are often made into extravagant events that include festivity,duels,romance and anything similar. These events are to show to both the church and god that the leaders of society are moral people.

Taxes - Flesh and Bones
The primary currency of The Empire is Queensblood which is the blood of the Black Queen herself. This is not a common resource and it is hoarded by all the powerful families and nobles in The Empire. It is impossible for normal citizens to pay it in yearly taxes, a year in The Empire is 9 months because of its significance. Normal coins for basic transactions are too insignificant to be used, thus citizens must may a different price.

For all the men of The Empire once they reach the age of 16 are drafted into the Empresses Army or their corresponding bloodlines family. They may leave the army once they fufill one of the following deeds. This means for many men is the army a life long dedication as none of the above is a guarantee in life. The ones that are victorious are great heroes who carry great weapons and armor. This means that the Empresses personal army will always outnumber the smaller governesses armies as they rely on veteran soldiers who may be more loyal to the Empress anyway.
 * Retrieving a human skull
 * Retrieving three skulls of hybrids/AEON's
 * Doing a significant deed in which the Empress/A Governess pardons you.

For all the women they must give five sons to the army, which itself is a much easier task than killing a human or anything similar. This is basically a non existant tax for the common citizenry as having lots of children increases your political authority and your children become tools for your families survival. This is meant more so that noble women have sons so that there is a constant supply of sons for other sons of nobles to fight as to elevate their Praetorian position.

Childhood - How to Survive
The childhood of any person in The Empire is very egalitarian to a point. Both men and women are taught to fight with swords and axes. To cook,clean and basic survival tactics out in the world. There is little safety in being a child here and it is important to know how to protect yourself. It is not uncommon for children to duel each other to the death so that they may be deemed valuable warriors to both their parents and god himself. Eventually there comes a point where each gender are taught different skills to help them survive in the world. Men from the age of ten onward are drilled relentlessly in warfare and either marksmanship or swordsmanship. Women are expected to learn an important skill whether that be blacksmithing, engineering, owning a business and anything similar.

Once they have grown to be around 18-20 they should be either trained soldiers for men or skilled laborers for women. Traditionally most men are given reprieve from their military duties to return home to start a family but it can be delayed until they pay their taxes. The church will take the young soldier and help find him a wife, each bloodline has their own customs for how this is done.

Marriage - The Strange Customs
Minthans have a few ways in which their sons get married. The most common is that the soldier walks naked through the town holding his weapon of choice, usually an axe. A priest or priestess will walk behind him shouting his deeds and accomplishments while at war. Later that day in an inn or town center can unmarried women talk to him and see if they are fit for each other. If a woman wants to surely win his heart she will make a well made axe for him that symbolizes her affection.

Amelians have a different set of values and don't put so much focus on war. A town crier will announce that there is a soldier available for marriage at this location. In the building everyone is given a massive amount of drugs and liquor, as is the norm in Amelian culture. Usually by morning a couple will leave the building and all the women who didn't get married will get an apology in the form of more drugs and liquor. Too signify that two people are married the couple get a matching set of tattoos on their hands.

Flukans have the most romantic custom of how to go about marriage. The man will write a poem while he is at war and perfect it. When he returns home he will read it to a crowd of potential wives. The women who want to continue are given a day to write a poem in response and read it at the same crowd. The man will pick his favorite poem and the two will be married.

The church highly values these marriages being formed on love rather than politics and deals. However that does not mean it doesn't always happen. It is not uncommon for a woman to pay the soldiers mother a bribe in order to marry him or arranged marriages to achieve family ties. If one is caught doing this the punishment is public execution.

Daily Life - Of Blood and Lust
There is two points which define the daily life of each gender. The soldier walks outside his home on ancient roads looking for whatever loot and enemies he may find. In any given second his heart could be obliterated as a human three miles away just fired his railgun. Each day slowly grinding through the old human city were every building is filled with beasts and monsters inside. To do this for days on end slowly erodes their mind into rampant paranoia. The fortunate soldiers wander until they find their bones and return home with paranoia and fear. Those much less fortunate are forced on a crusade to the human homes as they die in the thousand to giant steel covered men and women armed with rifles of gods.

There is very little use for soldiers when they return home unburdened by the command of the Empress. Some may find themselves employed as Wardens, the keepers of peace inside the cities. Others may join a guild and practice a skilled labor like engineering and gunsmithing like so many other women. Many just sit at home and drown in drink as the nightmares of war fade away.

Women for the most part are safe inside the walls of their cities but that doesn't mean they are safe from each other. Families grow and expand as mothers use their children as tools to expand their own influence. Like mafia families of old do these exist as it becomes a bitter fight to control resources and territory. A peaceful life is hard to acquire. You will pushed down into the concrete only to support your sisters as they rise in family hierarchy. A choice is presented, to become a slave of your family and do what you are told for the benefit of others. Or to fight with fangs and claws to rip apart anyone who would dare raise a finger to you. To climb upon the corpses of your sisters so that you may sit upon all those who don't resist.

For most women a marriage is a very important moment in your life and not something to ignore. Men have no political authority or aspiration so they exist to assist their wife in their own political struggles. Most men are trained soldiers and so they make excellent bodyguards,assassins and hit men for their wives to use effectively. Opposing sisters and families will think twice about attacking your home when at its door stands a power armored man looking towards you.

The Flesh Cult - Flesh of my Flesh
Hybrids try desperately to cleanse themselves of any affiliation with Wretches and 'normal' AEON's. But its bloody stench always follows them as it whispers into their ears. They are the boogeyman, the nightmare, the monster under the bed. If anything horrible happens it is always the flesh cult that is blamed but often they are true in that assumption.

Long ago before even the Empress was born there was the flesh cult. The few wretches that found themselves relatively sane and able to learn built this cult. A place where they could seek safety,refuge and a greater understanding of what exactly they were. Over time this turned into a macabre disgusting pit of a few elite wretches who fancied the worst parts of AEON's. To them the flesh was clay and they were the sculptor to make whatever they saw fit. A once noble goal now corrupted and turned into something that not even the most jaded person could lay witness too. They must exist for no matter how cruel,bloody and sick they are will they always have a place to do the work that other Hybrids will not.

In the fledgling days of the Empire was food a scarce resource. They could not subsist off of ration packets that the humans ate. Meat was so desperately needed but humans were rare and wretches in the region had been almost exterminated. The flesh cult smiled and went to the empress, they had found a solution for the food shortage. The flesh cult would create a sort of farm animal that would subsist off of the old human pipes that nutrient paste was dispensed from. In return all they asked was that they would be considered part of the Empire and not persecuted. Now every child looks out their window to see the cult across the street hoping that they will not be taken.

Every person in public would deny the cult as they state proudly that they deserve to be put to the sword. For a good amount of people that is true but many want what the cult offers. Stronger,larger muscles or maybe bright red eyes are just some mundane things they sell for pennies. Most people in their life get some operation or another for practically nothing. But very few ask to join them in their bloody quest for enlightenment and that is worth everything to them.

Politics - The Sword that Divides
Political parties are less a common belief each person has but more a extreme ideology bred by the inequalities of Hybrid society. Most political parties are nearly all men which is the usual, men typically reside in the extremes. As the parties grow and obtain more influence do they further worry the royalty including the empress herself for the power they could have.

Egalitarians - Equality for All
These people grit teeth when met with the hierarchical society which destroys the weak and condemns different lifestyles. They raise their flag and demand that all people are valued for who they are. Egalitarians they call themselves are a fairly niche political group inside the empire. Not because their values are hated but because the common person doesn't understand them. Society is based off of an insects hive with familial values. Hierarchy and family are the norm that is inherent in every Hybrid and to change that is met with confusion.